At the World Championship 2022, TOP Esports was seen as a top contender for the championship. The LPL representative boasted a lineup combining youth, experience, and the prowess of players who have been competing for many years. They also had two World Champions, Tian and JackeyLove. Notably, both were performing quite well in the LPL Summer Split prior to the tournament.
However, in the end, TES had to return home after just the Group Stage. Notably, TES lost to GAM Esports – a representative from VCS that was considered weaker in every aspect. Recently, the media in LPL pointed out the three names with the most disappointing performances from this region in the history of the World Championships.
3. Royal Never Give Up (RNG – World Championship 2018)
In fact, RNG had a perfect Group Stage at the World Championship 2018. They topped the group with a record of 4 wins – 2 losses. However, those very losses were a foreshadowing of RNG’s journey that season: it wasn’t an LCK team, but rather the European and American teams that would crush the ambitions of the “Royal Legion”.
And reality unfolded as many had predicted at that time. Entering the Quarterfinals, RNG lost to a European representative, G2 Esports (G2). Although both teams went to the fifth game, and G2 was the strongest force in the LEC at that time, this defeat was simply unacceptable. Especially considering that RNG had just won the LPL Summer 2018 championship and was highly anticipated by the LPL fans.
2. TOP Esports (TES – World Championship 2022)
The loss to GAM – the VCS representative who fought valiantly, did not actually make LPL fans angry. What the audience was outraged about was that TES played too poorly in the first round, ultimately losing their chance to self-determine in the second round. Their only victory was against GAM, but it came in a situation where the Vietnamese players made mistakes and lost their advantages.
Clearly, TES did not meet the expectations of their home fans. Although the pressure on the players was immense, the TES lineup consisted of names with many years of experience. No one could understand why the LPL runner-up fell into such a dismal performance, leading to such a bitter outcome at this year’s World Championship.
1. FunPlus Phoenix (FPX – World Championship 2021)
Before TES, a name from LPL that had to leave the tournament after the Group Stage was FPX. The team nicknamed “Phoenix” was also rated higher than EDG that year. However, what FPX left behind was only disappointment. They lost all their second-round matches and were embroiled in numerous controversies related to internal conflicts.
Subsequently, the FPX lineup that had won the championship at the 2019 World Championship also disbanded. Currently, FPX is just a name with an almost entirely new lineup. The “Phoenix”‘s standing in the LPL has faded since Doinb and his teammates left Iceland after a very disappointing World Championship.